SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP IS THROUGH SUPPORT of the 2013 ANNUAL APPEALApril 2013 Dear Friends and Members, This year our efforts have gone into preservation projects, programs to educate and events to please. Both the Education Building and the Mark Dewey Research Center required new roofs to preserve the historic structures and provide safe storage for our invaluable collections. Our monthly programs presented the Knox Trail, the Barnard Brothers, Post and Beam Architecture and a look at some of Sheffield’s less savory moments. Talks on Native Americans in Sheffield and World War Two veterans are yet to come. The Old Stone Store provided space for two exhibits as well as the annual Festival of Holidays and will host upcoming exhibits this summer on Underwear, Toys and the Ashley Family papers. October should be exciting as we hold numerous events throughout the month as part of our SpiritFest, including our popular Spirit Walk. The Spiritfest will bring a collaboration of the Sheffield Historical Society and the Lenox Garden Club to present a flower show called Berkshire Haunts. We will also be undertaking a capital campaign, focusing on the purchase and preservation of the Milt Barnum tool collection. Look for more information on that in the coming months. All of these activities, as you are aware, require resources. I know you are approached by many worthy causes throughout the year but please remember that the Sheffield Historical Society’s mission is a local one that truly matters to the preservation of Sheffield history and the community you love. So much of what we do is free – the monthly programs, the Old Stone Store exhibits, and the work done by volunteers at the Mark Dewey Research Center. All these activities are meant to promote and enhance our history. A significant portion of our budget comes from contributions and we need your help more than ever. All that the Society has accomplished over the years is the result of the dedicated work of volunteers and the assistance from people like yourselves. We are grateful for your support and hope we can count on it again this year to aid us in telling the story of Sheffield - where the Berkshires truly began! Sincerely, Paul O’Brien, President

Collecting, Preserving, and Transmitting Sheffield History for the Future